The Freshmen
by brucasfan05
Summary: This is a one shot, based on the song The Freshmen by the Verve Pipe.  I know, it's old, but it's an idea I've had for a while.  Let me know what you think!


_When I was young and knew everything_

_And she a punk who rarely ever took advice_

Brooke walked out of the bathroom, holding the stick shakily, and walked over to Lucas, to show him what it read. One word:

_**Positive**_

"It's positive," Lucas managed to choke out.

"Oh god," Brooke sobbed, "I'm pregnant," Lucas, in his state of shock, tried to put his arm around her, to comfort her.

"No," Brooke was not ready to for this, to forgive Lucas

"Brooke come on. I know you're still mad at me, okay?" Lucas spats out, desperately trying to figure out in his head what to do "But I'm here for you. Alright? We'll go to the doctor tomorrow, in the city, I'll take you."

"I'll take myself." Brooke is upset, scared, and pissed off all at the same time.

"Brooke, I'm just as scared as you are okay? But I want to help. Please, just trust me." He feels bad for cheating on Brooke, and what happened with Peyton. Lucas never expected this though.

"Yeah, cause that worked out so well for me the last time." And with that, Brooke tells Lucas to leave, and she falls on her bed to cry.

_Now I'm guilt stricken, sobbing_

_With my head on the floor_

"Damn" is all that Jake can say. Lucas just finished telling him, since he had been in this situation before.

"Yeah I didn't want to tell anybody but-" Lucas says, deep in thought

"Hey I didn't want to tell anybody either but I felt a lot better after I did. What does Brooke want to do?" Jake tries to get him to open up. (Lucas looks at Jenny) "I don't know. She won't talk to me." Lucas says, putting his head in his hands. "What do you want her to do?" Jakes asks, causing Lucas to look up. "How do I answer that? I'm just walking around like a zombie right now. I guess I want whatever's best for her. " Lucas says, on the verge of tears.

"Does she think she's going to have it? You know, Nikki and I, we talked about not keeping the baby." Jake says shameful, but bringing up the inevitable issue.

"Yeah, so did Dan and my mom. But how screwed up is that, huh? If she had listened to him I wouldn't be standing here right now." Lucas says, angry with Dan. But in his heart, Lucas knows that he and Brooke are not ready for this, which only leaves limited options. "Well, Luke, I don't want to lie to you. If Brooke has this kid, you're life, it's going to change. Where's your head at?" Jake is trying to make Lucas see the reality of this situation, that it is certainly life changing. Just because Jake chose to keep Jenny, doesn't mean that Lucas and Brooke should.

"My head says we're not ready to be parents yet. I can't even take care of myself. Plus there's college. Not just for me but for Brooke, too. God, my mom is going to freak out."

_Stop a baby's breath and a shoe full of rice_

Three days later, Lucas carried a groggy Brooke into her empty house. It amazed him that parents could be as cold as the Davis'. But the truth was that they were never there for their daughter, only dishing out money, when Brooke needed it.

They had been to the clinic this morning, for a termination. After speaking with both Karen and Brooke's parents, they had made a decision. And they decided it would be best to get it done as quickly as possible, before Brooke was too far along. It was one of the hardest things they had ever gone through, and neither of them was sure that it was the best decision in the end. But it was over now, and they couldn't go back.

Lucas had been by Brooke's side the whole time, and even got her some flowers, when it was over. Brooke hadn't stopped sobbing since he picked her this morning, to go there. And as he pulled up to her house, Lucas looked over, and saw Brooke starring out the window, with a blank expression. Gently, Lucas went around, and picked Brooke up, out of the passenger seat. He carefully carried her inside, and upstairs to her room. After Brooke was placed in her bed, Lucas got comfortable in the chair beside it, until Brooke began to protest:

"Luke, what are you still doing here?" Her voice was a mixture of anger, sadness, and coldness. She was curled up in a ball, with her arms around her stomach.

Lucas sighed "I'm not going to just up and leave you here Brooke. I told you, no matter what, I would be here to help you through this. Plus, the doctor told me not to leave you for at least 24 hours. You're gonna need help getting around, because of the soreness. So please, let me be here" But Brooke just broke down again, unable to argue back, or say anything. But she also protested any kind of comfort from Lucas.

_I can't be held responsible_

_Because she was touching her face_

"Don't do me any favors," She sobbed "Just go Lucas, just go" She finally was able to speak, with bitterness. And as worried as he might be, Lucas knew not to push Brooke right now. So he left her there, in the bed, but made a call in the car, to ask someone to go check on her. He was shaken up as well, but knew it had the greatest impact on Brooke. She had had surgery for god sakes.

As Brooke saw Lucas walk out, she whispered to herself "We made a mistake"

_I won't be held responsible_

_She fell in love in the first place_

_For the life of me_

_I cannot remember_

_What made us think that we were wise and_

_We'd never compromise_

_For the life of me I cannot believe_

_We'd ever die for these sins_

_We were merely freshman_

_My best friend took a week's vacation to forget her _

Nathan opens the door and rushes in. He stops, looking around. He sees a shadow move in their bedroom and makes for the door. 

Nathan calls expectantly "Haley?"

Taylor, Haley's sister, exits the bedroom, and she looks at Nathan sympathetically.

She bites her lip; nervously " I'm sorry Nathan… she's gone". 

Nathan looks away. He looks at the lamp. The bracelet he gave her at the Market Street Dock is next to the base of the lamp. He picks it up and looks at it, lost and alone, remembering:

_Haley is sitting on the counter. Nathan takes her hands off of his own. Nathan quietly speaks _

"_If you wanna go, you should go"_

Haley has a sad expression, torn between her husband and her music career. 

Nathan gets a pained expression" But, if you do . . ." He backs away " We're done"

Haley closes her eyes, knowing she had to make a choice, remembering the night she left.

She sighs into the phone "Lucas, don't _do_ this!" Her best friend had called to try and talk some 'sense' into her. 

Lucas, through the phone, yells "Do what? He _needs _you."

Haley begins to cry, "He said that we were done" She tries to quickly wipe the tears away.

Lucas sighs, "He didn't want you to leave. He's-" He pauses "He's _so_ in love with you, Hales. You gotta come back."Haley doesn't say anything. A guy comes up behind her, who is part of the stage crew. 

The stagehand guy speaks "Haley, Michelle wants to see you in her dressing room".

Haley turns to him, trying not to look like she's breaking down "Ok" She responds quietly, then goes back to Lucas "I gotta go" She chokes out. 

She hears Lucas groan, obviously frustrated with his best friend, through the phone.

Haley finally speaks again " I'll, um…" She pauses " I'll call you later, OK?"

She tries to smile but Lucas doesn't say anything, and after a few seconds, the line goes dead. She hangs up her phone, sighs, and turns away, walking off, to find Michelle Branch . . .

_  
His girl took a week's worth of Valium and slept_

A week later, Haley is woken up by the sound of her phone vibrating. She quickly glances at her alarm clock to see it's 2:30 in the morning. She groans, because she had only gone to bed an hour ago, after a long set, on the tour. She silently curses whoever is disturbing her sleep, saying to herself that it better be important.

"Hello?" she groggily says into her phone. At first, all she can hear is sobbing.

She panics, and tries again "Hello? Anyone there?" Then a small voice comes over the line

"Hales, you gotta come home, now" It's Peyton, she is sobbing, "It's Nathan. He, ummm, he overdosed tonight. Lucas is a mess, he, he needs you Hales. We all do right now" By this point, Haley is sobbing as well, on the other end of the line. She chokes out that she'll be there as soon as possible. Peyton agrees to pick Haley up from the airport, and explains that Nathan didn't want them to call her. But that they all knew she would want to know.

Haley makes a few phone calls, and even though her manager, and everyone else don't see the need, she is leaving, to go home. As the plane takes from New York, headed home to Tree Hill, she runs her fingers over a picture of her and Nathan on their wedding day, and tear makes its way down her cheek. How could she leave him like that? She then let's her hand slide to her stomach, and brush across "It's okay, baby" She whispers, and begins to cry.

_  
And now he's guilt stricken sobbin' with his head on the floor_

_  
Thinks about her now and how he never really wept he says  
_

_  
I can't be held responsible _

_  
'Cause she was touching her face _

_  
I won't be held responsible _

_  
She fell in love in the first place  
_

_  
For the life of me I cannot remember _

_  
What made us think that we were wise and we'd never compromise? _

_  
For the life of me I cannot believe we'd ever die for these sins _

_  
We were merely freshmen_

__

We've tried to wash our hands of all of this 

Brooke and Lucas hardly spoke for the next year and half. Brooke was grieving the loss of her baby, even if it was intentional. She reverted back to the old ways of drinking, partying, and random one-night stands. But her heart only belonged to one blue-eyed brooder. Lucas didn't have time to really deal with her attitudes, or trying to apologize for the millionth time. He was grieving the loss of his brother and his baby. Lucas and Peyton tried the whole dating thing. But he would just wind up getting drunk, and calling her by Brooke's name. Finally, after a rollercoaster six months, Peyton wanted out. She knew where Lucas' heart belonged, and only hoped that her ex best friend, and her ex boyfriend would come to their senses.

_  
We never talk of our lacking relationships_

And finally, after college, the two of them, Brooke and Lucas, were able to maybe not forget, but forgive. They began dating the summer after they both graduated college. Two years later, they got engaged on the fourth of July, while at the beach with Karen, Keith, and their daughter Lilly, Luke's younger sister. Two years after that, Brooke came to Lucas one night, with happy tears, saying she was two weeks late. They were finally ecstatic to be having their own child. One night, when Brooke was about 6 months pregnant, Lucas woke to find her side of the bed empty. At first, he panicked. But then, Lucas remembered where she might be. Quietly, he threw on some clothes, and got in his car. Sure enough, he found her. Brooke was curled up, on the ground, in front a small head stone they had put by the tree at the Rivercourt. Lucas quickly got out, and went to engulf his upset, pregnant wife, into his arms. They just stayed there, holding on to each other, letting the tears flow. Finally, Brooke spoke, with a tremble, as she ran her fingers over the small stone:

"I'm so sorry baby" She choked out "We were only freshmen" She whispered, and felt Lucas begin to rub her pregnant belly, a reminder of a new beginning.

_  
And how we're guilt stricken sobbin' with our heads on the floor _

_  
We fell through the ice when we tried not to slip, we'd say _

Haley quietly strolled through the cemetery in Tree Hill, a little boy beside her, with raven black hair, and glassy blue eyes. Finally finding the headstone she was looking for, Haley sniffed, and knelt down in front of it. She felt the little boy curl up to her, with the flowers that they had brought, in his small hands. After crying for a good five minutes, Haley began to speak:

"Nathan, I'm so, so sorry. I never meant to hurt you like I did. If I could go back now, I never would have left the way that I did. But if the truth be told, I was coming home the next week, with some big news" She smiled down through tears at her son.

Haley made it home for Nathan's funeral, not a real warm reception from her family or close friends. They were angry with her, for leaving. She spent a month, with hardly any friends around, miserable, and pregnant! Yes, Haley was coming home to tell Nathan that while she was on tour, she fainted one night during a set. After going to the doctor, Haley was given the best news that she could have at the time, she was a month pregnant. The only reason she didn't go home sooner, was because she didn't know how Nathan would have felt. Or honestly, if he would have been ready. But now, she regrets not taking the chance, or telling him. Eventually, she got back to speaking terms with Lucas, and he had been a great help ever since. Haley finally fessed up to being pregnant, and she got all the love and support she could need. She was truly grateful.

"This is your son, Nate" She whispers, and strokes her child's' back "His name is James Lucas Scott, and is the spitting image of his father. I promise, that I will tell him about his wonderful father. About all the great and wonderful things that you did, and especially about how much you loved me. We miss you everyday," Haley was sobbing by now. She felt James put his little arms around her shoulders, after laying the flowers on his fathers' headstone. Haley just clung to James, and cried, knowing that she needed to grieve, for once. Finally, she took one last look at the stone, and whispered

"We were only freshmen Nate" She then kissed her fingers, and ran it over the headstone "Always and Forever" She said, before getting James, and heading home.

Haley never remarried, James being her whole life, her future, staying forever faithful to Nathan . . .

__

I can't be held responsible

_  
'Cause she was touching her face _

_  
And I won't be held responsible _

_  
She fell in love in the first place_

__

For the life of me I cannot remember 

_  
What made us think that we were wise and we'd never compromise? _

_  
For the life of me I cannot believe we'd ever die for these sins _

_  
We were merely freshmen_

__

For the life of me I cannot remember 

_  
What made us think that we were wise and we'd never compromise? _

_  
For the life of me I cannot believe we'd ever die for these sins _

_  
We were merely freshmen_

We were merely freshmen  
We were merely freshmen  
We were only freshmen


End file.
